"'El'nor! El'nor!" the little voice shouted, a small child no older than 3 hastily ran into the living room and went slap bang into Eleanor's legs.

"You need to be careful my darling, what have I told you about running?" she scooped up the child, sweeping the loose strands of hair from her face, "what's the emergency?"

"Come see! Daddy's in the garden!" the sheer excitement in her voice made Eleanor smile brightly, "we have to see, now, quick!"

"Okay okay! Go and get your coat then it's very cold" she set her down and the little girl toddled off to the banister then came running back.

"Quick El'nor we're gonna miss it you have to see!" she grabbed Eleanor's hand and started tugging towards the kitchen to the back door, Eleanor leant down to slide her wellies on when suddenly something freezing and incredibly wet hit her cheek causing her to squeak in a very un-Eleanor fashion. There were two sets of laughter and she scowled at the culprit.

"Sorry love, couldn't resist"

"You'll pay for that Humphreys!" but Eleanor was smiling, and the man stepped closer, gently smoothing the remnants of the snowball away from her neck and collar, he held her gaze briefly before the moment was ruined by a little hand tugging the hems of their coats.

"Don't smooch daddy. Look! Snow!"

"Gosh you're right Isabelle! it is snowing!" they acted equally as surprised, after all Isabelle hadn't seen snow properly before and it was coming down thick and heavy, a good inch already blanketed the lawn.

"Daddy see!" she bent down and scooped up some of the snow, tossing it over her head and giggling, "we have to build an ice man!"

"Snowman dear" Eleanor quickly corrected, remembering her brother-in-laws nickname.

"I don't think its quite deep enough for a snowman yet sweetheart, besides we have to take you to your appointment soon" the little girl's dad said and her face dropped, hospital appointments were always long and boring, Isabelle breathe in Isabelle breathe out Isabelle follow the torch light and they were always taking samples of things, sticking needles in her arm, putting her through that tube thing where she couldn't see daddy or Eleanor. Sensing this Charlie mellowed, "alright I'll tell you what, go inside and fetch your hat and scarf off the big chair and we can build a baby one"

"Yay! baby snowmen!" hospital forgotton for the time being Isabelle ran off into the house giggling.

"You're going soft Mr Humphreys" Eleanor teased and Charlie wrapped his arm round her shoulder, pulling her into his chest.

"Weeelllllll. I can't say no to that little angelic face"

"Angelic?" Eleanor looked up at him "I'm sure you'd have thought so this morning when she was screaming the house down because she didn't want the little seeds to be on her strawberries"

"Terrible twos love" Charlie placed a delicate kiss at the corner of her mouth "she'll grow out of it"

"Daddy, El'nor there's a man at the door!" Isabelle shouted from the kitchen

Charlie rolled his eyes and tutted "It's probably someone trying to sell us something, I'll tell them to bugger off, calling at this time"

"Yea I'll get it, you can be the one to go in that hovel of a garage and dig out that shovel for Isabelle's snowman" she threw him a cheeky smile before making her way inside, she heard whoever it was knock again and Eleanor rushed faster.

"El'nor I've got wet in my wellyboot" Isabelle said most concerned, holding up her wellington boot in one hand and her soaking wet pink sock in the other. Eleanor picked her up so save her from hopping about with one shoe trailing snow through the house and there was another knock.

"Just a minute! she called, "Christ bloody selling stuff at this time, your shoe will just have to wait a moment baby" she said balancing Isabelle on her hip whilst unlocking the front door. It swung open and the earful that Eleanor had mentally prepared to give the salesman went faster than her heart.

"Hello"

Snow was falling even more heavy now, his hair and shoulders were covered in a layer of fluffy white and his cheeks were tinged pink from the cold. Tucked snugly under his arm was a brown folder.

"Whose that?" Isabelle asked curiously, playing with Eleanor's ponytail and giving the stranger at the door a quizzical look.

"Uhm. It's my friend sweetheart"

Sherlock raised his eyebrows at that and Eleanor gently put Isabelle down, "why don't you go and help daddy, Izzy?"

"but my boot-"

"I know its okay I'll sort it later or go ask dad, go on"

"Ok she said, giving them an uneasy glance behind her as she disappeared down the hallway.

When she was sure she was out of earshot she rounded on her husband, eyes full of nails and fury "Sherlock you cant just come unannounced. It's inappropriate.. Not to mention rude!" She didn't ask how he had found her because of course, Mycroft.

"The divorce papers you wanted" he said holding up a folder, "thought I'd deliver them by hand"

"To be nosey you mean" Eleanor folded her arms, "well thank you, I'll see to it they are signed by tonight" just then Isabelle's footsteps accompanied by Charlie's voice wavered down the hallway and she panicked, "Sherlock this isn't a good time" but he was too busy not even trying to hide his curiosity as he peered round her shoulder to watch the two strangers come into view.

"El, who is it love?" Charlie said, pulling off his gloves as he did.

Another judgemental raised eyebrow from Sherlock. He was about to introduce himself when Eleanor quickly chirped in "uh Charlie this is Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock" she nodded at him, "this is Charlie Humphreys. He's brought the divorce papers dear"

"What's a divorce?" Isabelle asked bravely, stood behind her dad and clutching his leg, unsure of what to make of the peculiar visitor.

"It's something grown ups get when they're married and don't love each other anymore" Charlie explained and a nerve in Sherlock's lip twitched.

"Oh.."

"Sorry mate, pleased to meet you" Charlie offered his hand and Sherlock took it.

"Pleasure"

"Well, lets all not stand at the door, why don't you come in out of the cold"

Sherlock gave his stern looking wife a calculating look as he passed her into the hallway. This was going to be a long night.

"We're off out soon actually" she said as they all followed Charlie into the living room, Eleanor sat on the big chair and Isabelle instantly climbed to sit on her lap, still with only one shoe and started playing with Eleanor's pony tail for comfort.

"What about the snowman El'nor?"

"Later sweet, we'll have time I promise"

Sherlock scanned the room silently, this was not at all what he had expected to find upon tracking down his estranged wife, not what he expected at all.

"I've heard a lot about you Mr. Holmes, you must be a very busy man what with your work, hope you didn't take too much time out of your schedule to come here, can I get you a drink at all?

"Actually I won't be staying long, I feel like I have interrupted a rather important moment, I don't want you to miss out on the snow" he smiled warmly at Isabelle and she shyly tucked her face into Eleanor's neck, "thanks all the same, Charlie is it?"

"No worries pal, well if you're sure, come on sweetheart we'll see if we have any baby carrots for our baby snowman. Lets let El talk with her friend"

She took her dad's hand and slid off Eleanor's knee, her eyes never leaving Sherlock's but when he looked back at her she sheepishly looked away quickly. When the chatter of Isabelle's curiosity faded down the hallway Eleanor lifted herself off the chair.

"Right the papers then. Where do I sign?"

"Whose that?" Sherlock's face dropped into a scowl.

"Charlie? He is my boss"

"Boss?"

"Well in a slightly very well encased nutshell yes"

"He's too young for you"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. I'm the nanny"

"For whom?"

"Don't be cheeky, now hand me the papers please"

"Live in?" he gave a knowing look after another glance around the slightly cluttered living room, some of Eleanor's personal belongings were scattered about the place, items that a come and go nanny wouldn't bother to bring with them to work unless of course they were to stay the night.

"Yes actually" she took the folder from Sherlock and flicked through lazily, "I will need to read these thoroughly"

"What happened to your other job?"

Eleanor peered over her spectacles, "change of ambition"

"How modern"

"How is Mycroft?"

"Dieting. Seems since you moved out he no longer has a ready supply of homemade baking at his disposal"

"And John, Mary the baby?"

"Rosie will be one on the 16th. Not that I'm keeping track John just keeps mentioning it to me for some reason"

"Lovely" she smiled softly. She did miss them all, "and yourself?" Eleanor glanced up at her soon to be ex-husband to find he was already staring at her.

He hadn't registered what she's said yet, strands of hair were out of place from Isabelle playing with it and she had a stain on her blouse he assumed was some sort of jam substance from the child's breakfast or tea - Eleanor hated jam. The worry lines that were present a year ago when he waltzed back into her life were no longer there, she had a completely new aura about her and Sherlock felt a pang of something, guilt perhaps? Jealousy? It was becoming more apparent he was no longer the man she needed nor wanted. Her affections blatantly were no longer his anymore, they belonged to this.. this Charlie.

He remembered when he found out Mycroft had been keeping her company for that year he was away and all the anger and bitter resent he felt at their relationship, even though it was purely platonic, came rushing back. Now look, he's lost his wife to some..well… some single soccer dad.

"Sherlock?" his eyes darted to where the voice was coming from and he pulled his conscious to the now, "you're doing it again"

"Oh well you know" something on the mantle caught his eye and he moved towards it. It was a photograph. Eleanor, the child and that man. They were all sat down on a big blanket. Sherlock's eyes narrowed at the picture, Charlie's arm was around Eleanor's shoulder and her hand was resting on his leg, casually but at a level of intimacy that wasn't appropriate for just a nanny to his child, she was beaming at the camera - they all were.

"Does he pay you or is there another incentive? It's obvious to anyone with half a brain cell you're not JUST the nanny are you?"

"Business dear what have I said in the past about minding it" she said going back to the documents, pen tapping on the desk, a life long habit she'd picked up whilst concentrating. The corner of Sherlock's mouth crept up in a half smile.

"Only showing interest in what my dearly beloved gets up to these days" he placed the photo back, hands in his pockets he waited patiently for her to acknowledge him once more, "is there any particular reason for the divorce now?"

She shot him a dirty look. He was fishing.

"Not particularly, just deemed it sensible considering we've been living separate lives for a year"

"You didn't want to divorce me last time" he stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout

"Yes well, can't very well divorce you if you're dead can I" a sharp exhale of breath. She didn't want to fall putty to his mind games and tricks of getting you to accidentally admit things you wouldn't normally.

"I'm not an idiot" and she raised her eyebrows

"Meaning?"

He tsked, the scolding look he gave her made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up "never had you down for an adulterer Eleanor"

"I don't have time for this Sherlock, I will finish reading these tonight and have them posted in the morning. If that is all I really do need to be getting on" she stood up "do you need me to ring you a taxi?"

"No need, I can walk, I'll see myself out"

And he was gone.

Eleanor released a breath she wasn't sure why she'd been holding. Her palms were sweating and she suddenly felt the urge to have a cigarette.